I am rebuilding the front suspension of my 76 F Body and decided to purchase PolyBushings.com torsion bar bushings. The bushings came with no instructions, I removed the metal shells and cut off the factory rubber bushings. Does anyone have any idea how you install the lower control arm bushing? I hammered out the pins, but in no way shape or form is that metal sleeve coming off of the torsion bar. Even if I could get it off how do you get the new bushing, which is some of the hardest polyurethane I have ever seen onto the sleeve? The bushing has no slit to be able to spread it on to the sleeve, I am thinking about cutting the collar off the end to get it on. Any ideas anyone?
Poly torsion bar bushing installation
- Thread starter Phase II
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AMC Diplomat
Well-Known Member
Here's a thread with pics of an end bushing completely apart: Torsion-Bar nightmare
I dodged this nightmare by getting a bushing and a torsion bar assembly. If you can wait long enough (like a year or more) they'll pop up on ebay.
I dodged this nightmare by getting a bushing and a torsion bar assembly. If you can wait long enough (like a year or more) they'll pop up on ebay.
You're probably going to need a press. After forty years those bushing shells are one with the torsion bar.
I ran into this issue. Don’t have the shop equipment at home to press it all apart, so I called Johnny at Polybushing. He confirmed the bushings can be cut and split for install. The other option, you already hit on; cut the washer off the end, clean up the bar end, slide new bushing on, weld washer back on…I have no idea how melty things could get if you go option 2. Just try to keep a wet rag/heat shield in place if you pull out the welder.
XfbodyX
Well-Known Member
Ive never been fond of cutting that big bushing or trying to get it apart so I always remove the end washer and weld it back on. It a beefy washer and it spreads the heat out well. If you do get it a bit hot just dont inhale the fumes but its very easy to do it this way.
XfbodyX
Well-Known Member
I had just looked at the link to the member in Germany. I noticed the one end of a clam shell looks distorted.
Not sure how others do it but if ya notice on the clam shell prior to starting there is that spot weld on each side of the attachment bolt. Many will cut or chisel that spot but I drill it and when assembling I use a threaded rod and washers/nuts to draw it tight then tack the outer edge then release and fill/weld the holes I drilled the spot welds out at. Then the shell is attached to itself from end to end.
Its never a pretty process till the end but lucky for us the shells can be worked and made to look sad but are easy to get back into shape.
Not sure how others do it but if ya notice on the clam shell prior to starting there is that spot weld on each side of the attachment bolt. Many will cut or chisel that spot but I drill it and when assembling I use a threaded rod and washers/nuts to draw it tight then tack the outer edge then release and fill/weld the holes I drilled the spot welds out at. Then the shell is attached to itself from end to end.
Its never a pretty process till the end but lucky for us the shells can be worked and made to look sad but are easy to get back into shape.
